Shabtin Village Profile
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Shabtin Village Profile Prepared by The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem Funded by Spanish Cooperation 2012 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Acknowledgments ARIJ hereby expresses its deep gratitude to the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) for their funding of this project. ARIJ is grateful to the Palestinian officials in the ministries, municipalities, joint services councils, village committees and councils, and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) for their assistance and cooperation with the project team members during the data collection process. ARIJ also thanks all the staff who worked throughout the past couple of years towards the accomplishment of this work. 1 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Background This booklet is part of a series of booklets, which contain compiled information about each city, town, and village in Ramallah Governorate. These booklets came as a result of a comprehensive study of all localities in Ramallah Governorate, which aims at depicting the overall living conditions in the governorate and presenting developmental plans to assist in developing the livelihood of the population in the area. It was accomplished through the "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment;" the project funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID). The "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment" was designed to study, investigate, analyze and document the socio-economic conditions and the needed programs and activities to mitigate the impact of the current unsecure political, economic and social conditions in Ramallah Governorate. The project's objectives are to survey, analyze, and document the available natural, human, socioeconomic and environmental resources, and the existing limitations and needs assessment for the development of the rural and marginalized areas in Ramallah Governorate. In addition, the project aims at preparing strategic developmental programs and activities to mitigate the impact of the current political, social, and economic instability with the focus on the agricultural sector. All locality profiles in Arabic and English are available online at http://vprofile.arij.org. 2 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Table of Contents Location and Physical Characteristics ____________________ 4 History _____________________________________________ 5 Religious and Archaeological Sites _______________________ 5 Population __________________________________________ 6 Education ___________________________________________ 7 Health Status ________________________________________ 7 Economic Activities ___________________________________ 8 Agricultural Sector ___________________________________ 9 Institutions and Services ______________________________ 12 Infrastructure and Natural Resources ___________________ 12 Impact of the Israeli Occupation ________________________ 15 Development Plans and Projects ________________________ 19 Implemented Projects ________________________________ 19 Proposed Projects ____________________________________ 20 Locality Development Priorities and Needs _______________ 21 References: _________________________________________ 21 3 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Shabtin Village Profile Location and Physical Characteristics Shabtin is a Palestinian village in Ramallah Governorate located 16.4km north-west of Ramallah City. Shabtin is bordered by Al Itihad to the east, Shuqba village to the north, Ni‟lin town lands to the west, and Deir Qaddis village to the south (ARIJ GIS, 2012) (See Map 1). Map 1: Shabtin location and borders Source: ARIJ GIS, 2012 Shabtin is located at an altitude of 243m above sea level with a mean annual rainfall of 554.3mm. The average annual temperature is 19 o C, whilst the average annual humidity is approximately 61% (ARIJ GIS, 2012). Since 1997, Shabtin has been governed by a Village Council which is currently administrated by 5 members appointed by the Palestinian National Authority. The village council owns a permanent headquarters, but it does not possess a vehicle to collect solid waste (Shabtin Village Council, 2011). 4 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate It is the responsibility of the village council to provide a number of services to the residents of Shabtin, including (Shabtin Village Council, 2011): Infrastructure services such, as water and electricity provision and management. Solid waste collection and social development services. Establishment of a sewage network. Implementing projects and studies in the village. History Shabtin village was named after a Pharaonic king called “Shib” who resided in the village. The sound “tin” was later added to the name to become “Shabtin” (Shabtin Village Council, 2011). The village‟s establishment dates back to the year 1700 and its residents originate from Deir Nidham, „Abud, Kharbatha al Misbah and other villages (Shabtin Village Council, 2011) . Religious and Archaeological Sites In terms of religious establishments, there are two mosques in the village; Shabtin al Kabeer and Shabtin as Sagheer Mosques. As for the archaeological sites in the village, there is an Omari mosque, Ahmad an Nubani shrine, Ash Sheikh Sultan well and two olive oil-press that dates back to the Abbasid era (Shabtin Village Council, 2011). 5 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Map 2: Main locations in Shabtin Village Source: ARIJ GIS, 2012 Population According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the total population of Shabtin in 2007 was 793; of whom 422 were males and 371 female. There were further registered to be 149 households living in 157 housing units. Age Groups and Gender The General Census of Population and Housing carried out by PCBS in 2007 showed the distribution of age groups in Shabtin was as follows: 44.6% were less than 15 years, 52.7% were between 15 - 64 years, whilst 1.9% were 65 years and older. Data also showed that the sex ratio of males to females in the village was 113.7:100, meaning that males and females constitute 53.2% and 46.8% of the population, respectively. Families Shabtin residents are composed of several families, mainly: Mheisin, Dheeb, Abu „Adi, Abu Ali and Abu Dalal (Shabtin Village Council, 2011). 6 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Immigration The field survey conducted by the ARIJ team in 2011 showed that 7 families have left the village since the second Intifada of 2000 (Shabtin Village Council, 2011). Education According to the results of the PCBS Population, Housing and Establishment Census- 2007, the illiteracy rate among Shabtin population was approximately 6.1%, of whom 75.8% were females. Of the literate population, 24.8% could read and write, with no formal education, 32.8% had elementary education, 26.4% had preparatory education, 7.9% had secondary education, and 1.1% completed higher education. Table 1, shows the educational level in the village of Shabtin, by sex, and educational attainment in 2007. Table 1: Shabtin population (10 years and above) by sex and educational attainment S Can Associate Higher Maste E Illiterate read & Elementary Preparatory Secondary Bachelor PhD Unknown Total Diploma Diploma r x write M 8 62 106 87 28 1 3 - - - 3 298 F 25 73 73 57 15 1 1 - - - 2 247 T 33 135 179 144 43 2 4 - - - 5 545 Source: PCBS, 2009. With regards to the basic and secondary education institutions and schools in Shabtin, for the academic year 2010/2011, there was only one public school; Shabtin Co-educated Secondary School; run by the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education (MoEHE), but there are no kindergartens in the village (Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2011). PCBS‟ survey further records that in the village there were 251 students, 19 teachers, and 12 classes registered (Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2011). It should be noted here that the average number of students per teacher in the school was nearly 13, whilst the average number of students per class was approximately 21. In case of the lack of educational levels or types of schooling in the village (e.g. scientific stream) students head to Ni‟lin Secondary School which is 5kmfrom the village (Shabtin Village Council, 2011). Health Status There are a number of health facilities available in Shabtin village, including; a public physician clinic and a public motherhood and childhood center. In the case of emergencies or the absence of any needed health service in the village, residents of Shabtin use the neighboring localities‟ public health clinics and centers in Shuqba and 7 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Ni‟lin, which are 2.5 and 5km away from the village, respectively (Shabtin Village Council, 2011). The health sector in the village suffers some obstacles and problems, including (Shabtin Village Council, 2011): The lack of a number of necessary and important medicines in the village. The lack of laboratories and X-ray centers. The lack of specialized doctors. The lack of an ambulance. Economic Activities The economy in Shabtin is dependent on several economic sectors, mainly the Israeli labor market, which absorbs 95% of the village workforce (Shabtin Village Council, 2011) (See Figure1). The results of a field survey conducted by ARIJ team in 2011 for the distribution of labor by economic activity in Shabtin, are as follows (Shabtin Village Council, 2011): Israeli Labor Market (95%) Agriculture Sector (2%) Trade Sector (2%) Government or Private Employees